2015 - Hurricane Sandy

An article I wrote as part of my coursework at SUNY New Paltz.

MANTOLOKING, N.J.--Michael Fratereli looks out his window at the ocean. He lives on the coast of New Jersey and enjoys the close proximity of the shore. As he looks through the glass, he sees the waves drawing in and out only 10 feet away from his front door. There is only one problem: Michael Fraterali does not have beachfront property.

At least he didn’t before Hurricane Sandy.

“Now that I have an ‘oceanfront’ property, there are no houses or dunes to protect me, and even a mild storm may send water rushing through my house again,” said Fratereli.

Mantoloking is a barrier island with a very small population that is mostly seasonal. The town consists of four rows of houses: the first row is oceanfront, the fourth row is bayfront and second and third are the rows of houses in between. Fratereli’s house is in the third row, two houses from the ocean, and one off the bay.

Now, it is row one.

Hurricane Sandy developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on Oct. 22. It quickly strengthened and upgraded to Tropical Storm Sandy. It was later determined to be the largest Atlantic Hurricane on record, according to Andrew Freedman, a senior science writer at Climate Central, Inc.

One week prior to the storm, Mantoloking residents started to receive reverse 911 calls informing them that a storm was coming, but would probably hit further north. By Thursday they said it could be very severe.

“We got an evacuation order on Saturday to be off the island by Sunday at 4 p.m.,” said Fratereli.

In 1962 there was a storm that destroyed several ocean-front homes in Mantoloking, but not to the magnitude of this Sandy.

“We received information from friends, family and local news stations,” said Fratereli, “but every station had a little different version...There are so many false alarms that it’s hard to take any report too seriously, but now I think I will take them at their word and be relieved if nothing happens.”

To prepare for an emergency situation, Fratereli bought emergency supplies: flashlights, candles, a battery-operated radio, and a surplus of nonperishable foods. Then he secured his house, or so he thought, by bringing furniture, plants and other outdoor decorations inside. A few hours later, he walked up to the beach and said it was gorgeous.

Little did he know that the million dollar, salmon colored house with white shutters and rattan porch furniture he walked by that afternoon would be gone two days later.

“I had a weird feeling when I left. I even said to myself ‘What would I take if this storm was really going to be bad?’ but then I thought, ‘I have too much crap as it is, let it wash away.’” He later said he wishes he could take those words back.

Though it was supposed to start Sunday night and continue into Monday morning, the storm did not make its appearance until early Monday evening. It was unseasonably warm with temperatures throughout the 60s. There was very little rain.

Fratereli was notified by his office at Barlo Archetects&Abavare Builders Inc., a locally owned company specializing in residential, government/municipal, and commercial structural and interior design, located on the mainland of New Jersey, to stay at home on Monday so as not to endanger employees by requiring the commute in bad weather.

“They called it the perfect storm since it hit at high tide, with a full moon. I am told the waves were 30-40 feet high--almost tsunami like...I was expecting a lot of rain and wind, possibly downed trees and road flooding, but what happen was total devastation,” said Fratereli.

The worst was Monday night through Tuesday afternoon.

Fratereli went to bed in a crowded, low budget hotel with only a bed a tiny bathroom Monday night still not realizing how bad it would be. He awoke to reports on the informing him that some homes in Mantoloking were washed off their foundations. Others, they said, were floating into the bay and crashing into the bridge. Those reports were initially told to be untrue, but later, residents learned it was even worse.

For almost a week Fratereli had assumed the worst about his house.

Three days later, NOAA.org released live satellite shots of his town. Even though he was not able to see the details of his home’s condition, he was able to see two truths: One, that his house was still there and two, that the two ocean-fronts in front of him were not.

“It looks like a war zone,” said Fratereli. When the water that rose six feet around his house receded, it dropped his neighbor’s house on his front yard.

As for his house, the waves crashed through his dead-bolted front door like a SWAT team, taking most of his home’s contents out the back glass doors.

“My refrigerator is nowhere to be found,” said Fratereli.

Now, there is three feet of sand inside, the living room chairs half submerged, just barely poking out of the sand.

“When I look out from my front yard I see ocean, which under normal circumstances would increase my property value,” said Fratereli.

Sixty percent of the oceanfront houses are no longer there or are uninhabitable.

When asked how long it would take to fully restore his property to its condition before Sandy, Fratereli replied solemnly, “Never?”

Gas lines were ruptured for 20 miles and it could take six to eight months to repair, according to local residents. Fratereli’s first floor has to be totally gutted, and since residents still have limited access, he cannot start the project.

Concerns of mold are also causing stress.

On Dec. 7, Mayer Nebel of Mantoloking issued the following statement in regards to handling the devastation: “We had a meeting today with the FEMA debris folks. They are committed to helping us find a way to clean up our beaches and our waterways. They are dedicating full time resources to help us out.”

According to Nebel, residents expressed a concern about price gauging during the area’s remediation. They were told that the NJ Attorney General’s office is handling all consumer complaints.

The cost to rebuild and repair the damage to Fratereli’s house is estimated to be between $200,000 and $300,000. Since it is technically a second home, FEMA gives no relief.

Fratereli’s homeowners insurance will not cover anything because all of the damage was flood related; his flood insurance is capped at $250,000, but only covers depreciated value, not replacement of contents.

“My coverage limit is the same as the multimillion dollar oceanfronts, so some will not rebuild.”

Fratereli was able to salvage many sentimental things, which is more than most were able to do down there, but even so, a lot was lost.

“My parents died two years ago and I thought the empty garage was the perfect place to store all their things to get them out of the way ‘til I had time to sift through them--so a lot of memories were lost,” said Fratereli.

His parents’ 65-year-old antique bedroom set was reduced to splinters. He is still finding photos under water or buried in sand.

“It affected everyone. The shore is where we grew up. A little piece of us is always there. Seeing the devastation to our childhood memories is not fun,” said Fratereli.

Lately, Fratereli has been spending his days on the phone with insurance adjusters and contractors trying to get his house secured and valuables removed before something else

happens. He is waiting to find out when he will gain full access to his house.

“It's difficult to think of much else,” said Fratereli.

Climate Central’s website reports that the extremely powerful storm surge proved to be Hurricane Sandy’s fiercest weapon, as water overwhelmed defenses throughout coastal New Jersey, New York City, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Winds up to 90 mph tore through the coast effecting the whole eastern third of the country. Higher elevations of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio received snowfall of up to 34 inches. Unlike last year’s Hurricane Irene, inland flooding was not as much of a problem because of the small amounts of rainfall.

Much of life on the east coast halted.

In New York state more than 12,000 flights were canceled due to the hurricane and the three main airports, which serve New York City, were shut down for two days.

Also in New York City, “There was no trading for two days on Wall Street as a result of the storm damage. The last time the New York Stock Exchange closed for two consecutive days for weather-related reasons was 1888,” according to the city’s Irish Central website.

“Greenwich Village Halloween parade was postponed for the first time in the parade’s 39-year-history.”

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Sandy caused the worst damage in the NY subway's 108-year history.

From the storm, over 100 deaths were reported and, at its peak, over 8.5 million homes were left without power. Millions of dollars of damage happened in less than 48 hours.

“It's not being reported, but the workers in front of my house said they found dead bodies in a house just south of me. One guy [was found] floating in the bay.”

Fratereli says the worst thing he has seen as a result of the storm was his neighbor’s house floating in the middle of the bay, the devastated faces of his neighbors when they see their homes for the first time: A recently married couple, holding hands, looking up at the ruined house they bought only weeks ago, their expressions blank. And old woman crying, knowing that, without a house, she will now have no choice but to reside in a nursing home. A distressed-looking family in dirty, tattered clothing hugging their shoeless children close, not knowing what the next step is.

“Overall, I am trying to remain optimistic,” Fratereli said. “Hopefully this will be a

distant memory. Compared to most, my house is a disaster area, but I am one of the lucky ones that have a home to repair.